Beneath the Summer Skies
by DaddyCameHome
Summary: Follow the adventure of a group of young pokemon trainers on vacation in the Hoenn region, as they experience the greatest summer of their lives. Characters are based off of their namesakes. Nintendo own the rights to Pokemon, however I claim all OC in this story. This is my first ever attempt at writing fanfiction but i hope you enjoy it, critizism is welcome!
1. Chapter 1

Beneath the Summer Skies - A Pokemon Fanfic

As the new morning light danced on the waves of the warm Hoenn sea, Brandon Birch smiled in nervous excitement to himself as he leaned over the railing of the SS Marie. His light brown hair floated in the gentle sea breeze. A pair of wayfarer sunglasses sat on his head. Far, far in the distance, a group of islands were visible. After 9 days at sea, the ship would finally arrive in the Hoenn Region on this glorious morning. An indescribable feeling of nerves, excitement and the prospect of adventure was washing over Brandon like a Tsunami, and he couldn't help but grin. The warm morning sun had now fully risen above the water, basking the ship in its warmth. Brandon took another bite of his toast as he watched the water. A huge Tentacruel floated past the boat, leaving Brandon in shock. He had never seen a Tentacruel in person. This must be a sign that we're getting close, he thought to himself, and grinned. As a flock of Wingull floated past, high in the sky, another Pokemon eyed them from the deck of the ship. Scizor was a menacing Pokemon, standing taller than its trainer, his coat of red steel armour gleamed in the sunlight. His eyes darted around the morning scene until it finally spotted its target and advanced. As it approached, it moved silently. Brandon Birch was still busy eating his toast over the railing when he felt a figure behind him. He turned to see his loyal Pokemon standing by his side. They both nodded each other a good morning. Scizor was a Pokemon that Brandon's father had caught for his son several years ago. As a Scyther, it was taken to school in its pokeball and battled against the other children's Pokemon, usually basic bug types. Brandon's Scyther earned a reputation at the school for its power, and it wasn't long until a group of older kids attempted to mug Brandon and steal the pokeball Scyther was in while he was walking home. Luckily Brandon's father arrived to save his son, but from that day on, Scyther was made to stay outside of its pokeball to protect Brandon. It very rarely went back into its pokeball. Even now as a 17 year old, the boy always had Scizor standing by his side. Scizor was a powerful pokemon, but it liked having this boy as its trainer. It was treated as an equal, and as a friend. Brandon had always been like that, a respectful and quiet young boy. He had lost his mother in childbirth, and as a result had been carefully looked after by his overprotective father all his life. And yet, he always seemed to find himself in trouble. Yes, Brandon Birch was never far from adventure that was true. But not adventure like this. As the pair stood on the warm deck of the SS Marie, staring longingly at the islands ahead, far in the distance another journey was about to begin...

In the small town of Littleroot, a small corner of the Hoenn Region, another young trainer was up early for a huge morning. May Maple was a beautiful young girl. She was quiet, a little shy, and even at 16 had not yet tasted adventure. That was about to change. As she dragged herself out of bed, she glanced at herself in the bedroom mirror. Her long brown hair was messy, and it fell down one side of her face. She was about average height, slender and athletic with a cute, unimposing face and gorgeous blue eyes. In the kitchen, her mother called her for breakfast. She threw on her denim shorts and red crop top (she had left them on her bed for weeks in preparation) and hurried downstairs. May's mother Rose was just like her, she had the same features and was equally as beautiful. As May rushed down the stairs, her mother sat at the table with a plate of pancakes and a hot cup of coffee. "Good morning sunshine!" She smiled at her daughter. This was a very special morning for May; today she would leave on her first summer vacation without her Mother! "Morning Mom!" She smiled back, "How did you sleep?" and sat down to her warm breakfast. May's best friend Dawn from the Sinnoh Region was on her way by boat to Hoenn, and they were going to spend the whole Summer break together travelling. For years the two had talked and dreamed about having the perfect Summer, and the day had finally come. While she sat and talked to her mother, her mind wandered to the possibilities of their adventure. May was brimming with with excitement all morning, and an hour later as they drove to the Slateport City to meet Dawn, her excitement was at its peak. Her mother, however, was less than excited. "May listen up, you two need to be careful ok?" This was not the first time she had said this over the last week or so. "Of course we will Mom" replied May, trying to sound sincere. "I mean it May, you're a big girl you can look after yourself, and Torchic can protect you..." Rose glanced at the pokeball in her daughters hand. "But i'm going to be really worried about you two! Not to mention lonely.." May frowned, her excitement dimming somewhat. As a single mother, Rose would now have no one else in the house apart from her own Pokemon Spinda and Sentret. May had been thinking about this a lot. She was a very gentle natured girl, and did not like the idea of upsetting her mother. "I know Mom, but like I said, i'll ring you every day ok?" It wasn't a lot to promise, but it was the best she could do. Her and her Mom were very close. "That'll be nice dear, thank you.." It was a little upsetting, but May was still just as excited. They drove on.

After 20 minutes, May and her mother arrived at Slateport City, and rushed over to the harbour, just in time to see the ship pulling in. "The SS Marie..." May read out loud the bold red print on the hull of the huge ship. Along the port side, hundreds of people lined the deck's to wave hello at the crowds who had come to greet them. It was a busy time of the year for Slateport, and this was the first ship of the summer. May scanned the deck of the ship for her friend. After nearly a minute she spotted Dawn, her amazing blue hair blowing in the warm sea breeze under her signature white beanie. Her skin was pale and soft, and her eyes were big, warm and friendly. She was very similar to May in her body type, a little shorter and not as athletic. They were a good looking pair. She grinned and shouted and waved, but Dawn couldn't spot her. Laughing to herself, May's eyes wandered to a slightly older boy, standing just behind Dawn. He was tall, tanned with an adorable little smile on his face and cute messy light-brown hair (which had a decent amount of hair product in it). He was wearing a white T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a dark pair of wayfarer sunglasses. He was very attractive. Her eyes were drawn away by the shouting and waving of Dawn, who had finally spotted her. Dawn tracked where May was staring and spun around, immediately spotting the cute boy with the wayfarer sunglasses. He smiled a warm smile at her, showing off rows of beautiful teeth. Dawn politely smiled back, then spun back round to face her best friend. They both gasped and laughed at each other, before the ship finally docked.

As she walked onto the pier in her little white dress, Dawn spotted her best friend. May was so beautiful, she was a tiny bit jealous. Dawn lived in the Sinnoh region her whole life, in the cold north. She was a fierce and feisty girl, but an inexperienced Pokemon trainer. She had long dreamed of coming to the warm and exciting shores of Hoenn, and while she was incredibly confident in her exterior, she was rather nervous of the unknown journey which lay ahead. She rushed towards May and gave her a big hug. It had been a whole year since the last time they had been together. The two chatted together in excitement, before Rose interrupted them. "Ok you two, its nearly 11:00, don't you think you should get going?" Dawn glanced at May, puzzled. "Oh, Mom, I forgot to tell you!" Exclaimed May. "Dawn and I are going to stay in Slateport for the first night." Rose smiled at the pair. "Oh ok, well in that case do what ever you want." They beamed back at her. "I need to be heading off now girls, so I guess this is goodbye." She smiled, but a tear rolled down her cheek. May shed a tear as well, and the group had one last big hug.

"Promise you will call every day?"

"I promise Mom"

"Good, now you two take care of yourselves alright?!"

"We will"

"Right.."

Rose straightened up, wiped her tears, and gave them both one more big hug, then walked back to the car. "Goodbye you two! Have fun!" The pair waved her a tearful goodbye until the car was well out of site. "Goodbye!"


	2. Chapter 2

Only an hour and a half after Rose's tearful goodbye, Dawn and May found themselves in a Cafe opposite the bustling markets of Slateport, discussing what they should do first on their travels. They hadn't properly planned what they were going to do, but Dawn, being the organised girl she is, bought a map of the Hoenn Region from the PokeCenter and had it laid out on the table. She was furiously writing down their plans on the corner of the map, and drawing lines where they were going to go. The plan went a little something like this; spend the first night in Slateport by watching a Pokemon contest, go to the markets the next morning, then get a boat to the small island town of Dewford, to stay and explore the island. Right now, they were planning on going back to the PokeCenter to get changed and head to the beach. In their bikini's (May in red and Dawn in white) they strolled down the beautifully tiled pavement to the beach. This was their first swim of the summer, and they couldn't wait. The warm sand of Slateport beach was a brilliant bright gold. The warm Hoenn sun beat down on the crowds. It was a beautiful day. The two girls lay tanning on their towels in the sand, chatting more about the things they could get up to on their summer adventure. The subject reached boys, and almost by command, May spotted a familiar pair of wayfarer sunglasses. "Oh my Arceus.." She whispered, nudging Dawn and pointing. "Look who it is!" Wandering along by the bar was the cute boy they had seen on the ship. He was shirtless with a pair red swim shorts. His body wasn't bulky, he was actually quite thin, but every part of him was toned from his well defined chest, muscly arms and a spectacular six pack. Walking beside him was a hulking Scizor, the biggest one either of them had ever seen. It looked weirdly out of place at the beach. They pair of girls gaped at him as he strolled away.

"Hey kid, lets battle!" Came a little high pitched squeak. Brandon glanced down at a young boy of maybe 11, a smirk on his face and a pokeball tightly clenched in his fist. "Thanks kid but i'll pass" he said politely and kept walking towards the bar. The kid looked taken aback, and went to chase him until Scizor stepped in behind. The kid eyed Scizor with awe and fear, and went back to the beach. Brandon sat down on an empty stool. Scizor stood behind him with his arms crossed, preferring not to sit. The barman was only a few years older than Brandon, but something about him felt very mature. His blonde hair was long and pulled back by a thin headband. He had a very warm smile and eyes of a much older and more experienced man. "What can I do for ya?" He grinned. "A bottle of cider please" Brandon smiled back an equally warm smile. The guy nodded and got busy. Noticing a belt full of pokeballs under his open Hawaiian shirt, Brandon said "Are you a trainer?" The guy stood up, handed him his cider and nodded

"Yeah dude, i'm here for the summer, i just got this job here to save up some money. Did you just get here on the ship?"

"Yeah, i did" said Brandon, surprised.

"Yeah i guessed" the guy smiled. "You must be going to Porto Vista next month right?"

"Well i was thinking about it but i'm here on my own, i don't think i'll enjoy myself."

"Every teen in Hoenn is gonna be there dude, you have to go!"

"Well..."

Brendon was struggling to decide what he should do when the guy spoke up.

"Hey man, you should come with me! I'm going by myself as well!"

Brendon was taken aback.

"Really?"

"Yeah! I traveled here from Kalos, i got no friends either buddy"

They both laughed, and thats when Brandon made up his mind.

"Alright sure." He held out his hand "I'm Brandon, Brandon Birch."

The guy reached over the bar and firmly shook with two hands. "Nice to meet ya man, i'm Cas"

The next day was just as bright and sunny as ever. Dawn and May were wondering around the markets, after May's daily call to her mother, still buzzing about the incredible pokemon contest spectacular they had watched last night. Both of the girls were instantly drawn to the idea of competing, and decided to stock up on all sorts of pokeballs and food and training gear. As they both only had one pokemon (May had a cute little torchic, while Dawn had a dashing little Piplup), they agreed that when they got to Dewford town they would explore the island for new pokemon to catch. After a morning of vigorous shopping, the girls headed to the pier to hire a boat. As they walked along the boardwalk in their sundresses, a group of boys playing volleyball waved and shouted and catcalled at them. They giggled and waved back, and the boys cheered. May couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She hadn't hadn't experienced romance yet, and she was secretly eager to this summer. The girls carried on along the pier until they saw a sign outside a small building: Mr Brinney's Ferry. "After you" said May as she pushed open the door for her friend. They entered on a bizarre scene; an old man, presumably Mr Brinney, was cursing and chasing a small Wingull in a circle around the room. As the two girls made themselves aware to the old sailor, the commotion screeched to a holt. "Oh, hello ladies!" Smiled the the sheepish old man, as the Pokemon floated down and landed on his shoulder. "I'm Mr Brinney. He stroked its head "and this is Peeko. What can we do for you?" May smiled politely "We were wondering if we could get your ferry to Dewford town?" Mr Brinney nodded eagerly. "Of course dear, i'm setting sail at 3:00pm with a few others, how does that sound?"

"Perfect!" Beamed the two girls, and they held out fistfuls of money.

At 5:00pm after Cas' shift was over, Brandon met up with him on the pier. After discovering they were both keen Pokemon trainers, the pair agreed to head across the channel to nearby Dewford Town to train at the Gym there. Brandon's father was a very strong trainer, and had taught Brandon from a young age. Not one to brag, he hadn't told Cas that he had already had plenty of battle experience. As the two boys reached the end of the pier, Cas pulled a pokeball out of his hidden belt. He grinned "Come on out buddy!" and threw it. In a flash of light and a monstrous roar that scared off several nearby Wingull, as well as some other people on the pier, a Sharpedo splashed into the water. Brandon was impressed, it certainly was an intimidating Pokemon. He grinned at Cas, and Cas grinned back. "Sharpedo, this is our new friend Brandon." Sharpedo roared, and Brandon sheepishly grinned. Scizor simply nodded at it. Cas then leapt down onto Sharpedo's back, gripping its jagged fin. "You want a ride?" Smirked Cas "Or can you make your own way across? I thought you were an experienced trainer!" He taunted. Brandon laughed "I've got my own way across thank you, and I am an experienced trainer for your information." Cas had a strange look on his face. "How about you show me when we get to Dewford? His eyes lit up. A challenge. "Alright" said Brandon as he reached into his pocket. "I will." He pulled out a pokeball. "Lets go Lapras!" A melodic cry echoed as the bright light of the pokeball produced Lapras. Cas' expression did not change. "Sorry buddy.." Brandon held up a pokeball to Scizor. He simply nodded his understanding, and allowed his young trainer to put him back into his pokeball. Brandon then jumped off the pier onto Lapras' back, and followed Cas as they set off for Dewford.


	3. Chapter 3

After a short and uneventful trip across the calm channel, the two boys and their Pokemon arrived ashore at Dewford. They trudged up to the PokeCenter to shower and get changed, and agreed to meet at the battlefield behind it in 30 minutes. As he showered, Brandon assessed his challenger and mentally picked the pokemon he would use for their battle. They had decided on a a 3v3 single battle, best of 3 wins. Brandon knew he was a strong battler, but he was somewhat unnerved by his mysterious opponent Cas. He didn't know what to expect from him, and was making himself nervous. This trail of thought caused him to lose track of time in the shower. Luckily, Scizor knocked on the door of the bathroom which brought him back to his senses. As a result of his long hot shower, Brandon had to quickly throw on the clothes he had been wearing all day, a white T-shirt and Khaki shorts, both rolled up. It was nearly sunset, so he also threw a black jacket on, before rushing down to meet Cas. When he got out to the battlefield, Cas was waiting for him. Brandon tried to sheepishly apologise for being late but Cas just laughed it off and said it was all good. They both reached for their first pokeball. It was 8:00pm, the sun was slowly sinking into the sea on the horizon, the rocky hills of the small island loomed above the town, casting a huge shadow across the sand. A small hum of people could be heard from the PokeCenter and the restaurant next door to it. Apart from that, it was all quiet on the dirt battlefield as the two boys began their face-off.

Cas acted first, launching his first pokeball across the sky. In an incredibly bright flash a small inferno erupted onto the battlefield. As the blaze subsided, an Infernape was revealed, locked into a martial arts pose. It had a cheeky grin on its face as the fires on its body flared. It stared down Brandon as he reached for his first pokeball. "Go! Electivire! An equally bright light flashed from the pokeball, revealing the Pokemon. He stretched out his big muscular arms, sparks arcing off of the two tails behind him. Brandon gritted his teeth and held his gaze on Cas. Cas seemed very calm and relaxed. Suddenly, he positioned himself in a martial arts pose and gave the order to Infernape to begin. "Infernape!" Its ears pricked. "Use Flamewheel!" Infernape gathered itself up and was suddenly enveloped by flames. "Brace yourself Electivire! Use Thunderpunch when he gets close!" Electivire roared and positioned itself in a wide stance, its clenched right fist was pulled back and beginning to spark. Infernape rolled forward with power and intent, moving quickly. It was very fast. Just before it reached Electivire, Cas yelled "Now! Flare Blitz!" Infernape suddenly sprung out of its flamewheel, still carrying speed, and began to glow with blue flame as it picked up even more speed. Electivire was braced and as Infernape got to within a few metres, he unleashed the built up power of its thunderpunch. The two Pokemon collided in a huge explosion of fire and electricity that shook the ground and all the surrounding buildings. The smoke rose from the battlefield as Electivire and Infernape regathered themselves after the collision. Infernape had taken severe recoil from the impact into Electivire's thunderpunch, but still looked determined. Electivire was quite clearly hurting, but stayed on its feet which indicated it was ready to keep fighting.

"Electivire! Use earthquake!"

"Keep off the ground Infernape! Use acrobatics!"

The flying Infernape unleashed on Electivire from the sky. Electivire flailed, unable to hit the speedy Infernape.

"Use your tails Electivire!"

A sharp jolt of electricity struck the Infernape, sending it flying into the sky. Electivire tried to follow up with a powerful thunderbolt, but Infernape dived straight into the ground with dig, before resurfacing on the other side of the battlefield to avoid another earthquake. The battle raged on.

"Your Ravioli, ma'am" politely announced the waiter as he set down a hot plate of delicious looking food. "And your Spaghetti ma'am" as he set down another classic Italian dish. "Thank you!" Chanted May and Dawn as the waiter bowed and set off back towards the kitchen. The two girls had decided to treat themselves to a fancy dinner, and this little Italian restaurant opposite the Dewford PokeCenter was exactly what they had in mind. It was warm and inviting, with a hum of excitement and chatter that gave the place a very friendly aura. A beautiful vintage pizza oven acted as a fireplace inside. The cobble street outside was lined with table's and large braziers, all littered with cute little candles. The restaurant was brimming with young couples enjoying a night out. May gazed at a nearby couple and sighed. They would have been roughly her age. She longed to experience that feeling. It was a beautiful and warm, the mountains protecting the town from cold sea wind. The tranquility of the evening was suddenly broken by a huge explosion and jolt under the earth. Smoke began to rise from behind the PokeCenter. People were streaming out the doors of the PokeCenter to see what was going on. A wave of murmured chatter washed over the restaurant. Dawn and May were no different, joining in on the gossiping. May then noticed that there were people leaving their tables and running over to the PokeCenter. All of a sudden, half of the restaurant had emptied. Dawn wasn't as shy as May and grabbed the arm of an older boy who was leaving his table with his date. "What's going on!?" She asked, raising her voice so she could be heard over the commotion. "Cas is battling some kid behind the PokeCenter!" Yelled the boy. May and Dawn looked at each other, shrugged, then got up and started heading over to join the crowd.

As the two Pokemon followed each other in circles around the battlefield, Cas and Brandon noticed that a small amount of people had come pouring out of the PokeCenter and were now standing on the edge of the arena. Now even more people were coming from somewhere around the corner, and a crowd was gathering. Brandon was rather shy and was now slightly put off by the amount of people watching him, especially because there were girls watching. Cas did not seem fazed at all, and was fully focused on the battle. His long blonde hair was damp with sweat behind the thin hairband that held it back. "CLOSE COMBAT!" He screamed, and Infernape launched into the attack. Its speed was impressive. As Electivire began to reel from the flurry of punches and kicks, Brandon began to panic. Electivire wasn't fast enough to get a hit back on the Infernape. "Electivire! Giga Impact!" It was the only thing he could think to do. Electivire began to glow white as it continued to take the beating from Infernape. When it reached enough power it threw itself the short distance into Infernape with full power. The collision was deafening and the crowd gasped as Infernape landed down by its trainer, managing to stay on its feet even though it was clearly hurt. Electivire was not so lucky. The recoil of the close range giga impact was too much, and it fell to the ground unable to continue. The crowded whooped and cheered as both trainers withdrew their Pokemon, and Brandon drew a big X in the dirt to signify one loss. Electivire was one of his strongest Pokemon. While he was recently evolved and rather unexperienced in tough battles, he was monstrously powerful. Brandon grimaced, shaken by his loss and unnerved by the roar of the crowd. He had never faced an opponent this tough. With a quick sigh to try and bring himself around, he reached for his second pokeball.

May and Dawn rounded the corner to join the crowd just in time to see a collision between an Infernape and an Electivire in the middle of the arena. They both looked at each other in excitement. What an intense battle this was! Two experienced trainers with strong Pokemon, battling it out. It was an incredible spectacle. And who was Cas? The girls pushed their way through the sea of people to get to the edge of the arena. The battlefield lay in utter ruin as the girls took in the unfolding scene. Close to them on one side of the arena was an older boy with long blonde hair that was held back with a thin headband. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and an open Hawaiian shirt that showed off his impressive chest. He was patiently waiting for his opponent to pick his Pokemon. May glanced down towards the other end of the battlefield and her heart nearly stopped. There he was. The boy from the ship, still wearing the same clothes, minus the wayfarer sunglasses. She couldn't believe it. She nudged her best friend but Dawn had already seen him. They both stood in silence, unable to look away.

Brandon's hand hovered over a gleaming Ultraball. He hesitated, before moving away and deciding against it. He grasped a dusk ball with his fist, clenched it tight in his hands before throwing it onto the field. "Trevanant! You're up!" Their was a flash of light completely unlike any other pokeball. It wasn't a bright light, it was a dark light. It seemed to create a small hole of pure night on the field before it subsided revealing the shadowy Pokemon. It landed gently above the decimated ground. The crowd cheered as it pulled itself upright, stretching its claws to show it was ready to go. Cas just cocked his head, then threw out his own pokeball. The blinding light had barely gone when the crowd again erupted in cheers. A mighty Tropius stood in front of Cas, locking its eyes with Trevanant. The two grass types stood tall on the decimated battlefield. "Tropius! Airslash!" Tropius raised its huge leaf wings and gathered wind behind them. The crowd roared as the air whipped around the battleground. "Trevanant! Shadow Sneak behind Tropius!" The ghostly tree began to fade into darkness and sank into the floor. Tropius's attack faltered and it glanced at its trainer, waiting for instructions. Cas was about to open his mouth to issue a command when Trevanant erupted from the floor in a shadowy torndado, swiping at Tropius and connecting directly to the face. The big pokemon stumbled back in pain as Trevenant advanced. "Ice punch!" Yelled Brandon, and Cas' eyes widened in horror. The hit sent Tropius reeling into the dirt, and the crowd roared its approval. Picking itself back up, Cas shouted at Tropius to use fly. Its enormous wings lifted the big pokemon into the clear sky, and as Trevanant watched several air slashes came speeding down from above. Trevanant took the hits rather well considering it was a flying type attack, but they had distracted him from Tropius who was now crashing down towards him. "Quick use Sha..." But too late as Tropius tackled Trevanant from above and glided down in front of him. Tropius readied itself to unleash a leaf storm, but Trevanant sank through the floor again and reappeared right in front of Cas. "Shadow Ball!" Screamed Brandon and Trevanant unleashed a ghostly orb which exploded upon impact with Tropius. The crowd roared again as Tropius lay defeated on the desolated battleground. Brandon smiled to himself and watched Cas sheepishly draw an X in the dirt. Trevanant was returned to its pokeball, and Brandon thanked it before setting it back down on the bench. Trevanant was one of his most reliable Pokemon, an old yet experienced battler that was incredibly durable. A solid team member. He turned to his loyal Pokemon that was stood behind him. "Its up to you buddy" he said with a grimace. Scizor of course simply nodded and walked out onto the field. Their were cheers of awe and excitement as Scizor stepped forward. Cas grinned. "Finally i get to see the big guy in action!" He laughed, then threw forward his last pokeball. Another great flash of light, but this time the roar of the crowd was nearly drowned out by the roar of Nidoking. Standing equally as tall, the two squared each other up. Scizor began to shadowbox to show it was ready, and Nidoking roared. This was to be the deciding fight.


End file.
